Setting valve spring heights?

[Tom Meyer]

Back when I raced I would find the 8 best springs and put then on the intakes other 8 on the exhausts, it always seamed that if I broke a exhaust spring the car never slowed down. But with todays more radical cams and close piston to valve I would maybe rethink this. Installed height is what the manufactures recommended for that spring for wide band of different cams lifts. However my thoughts are to tailor them to your application, taking into account seat pressure, cam profile, and how close you can get to coil bind, to eliminate spring harmonics. Nascar has a lift limit so there cams are set up loft the valve to get more lift. You also have to have enough pressure to keep it from floating. Spring technology has come a long way over the years and we have adapt to it. All the time spent on cutting ring gaps and setting bearing clearances should not your valve train be included in your blueprint to making the best engine you can? Wow did I just write that. Tom